Toy sound producing flight system

ABSTRACT

A toy sound system, including a reel-sound amplification mechanism apparatus, a toy airplane, a hanger and a soundinducing filament. Movement of the airplane suspended by the hanger from the filament causes a motion to be induced in the filament which in turn induces a movement of a diaphragm thereby amplifying the sound made. The reel apparatus allows the filament to be paid out to any desired length. The reel may then be locked to prevent further payout. Controlling the reel apparatus allows control of the descending airplane since the far end of the filament is connected to an anchor with a flexible connector which allows movement and yet is easy to attach, while providing a bumper against impact of the airplane and the anchor.

[ 51 July 11, 1972 United States Patent Schlau et al.

3,295,249 H1967 Johnson...............................46/202X [54] TOY SOUND PRODUCING FLIGHT SYSTEM [72] Inventors: Floyd E. Schlau, Palos Verdes Estates;

g a reel-sound amplification a toy airplane, a hanger and a sounddnlane suspended by the be induced in the Denis V. Bosiey, Palos Verdes Peninsula;

Craln, Raymond J. Dougls, Lomita Hawthrone, Calif.

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filament which in turn induces a movemen thereby amplifying the sound made. The reel ap the filament to be paid out to any desir then be locked to prevent further payout. Con apparatus allows control of the d 56 R f Cm far end of the filament is connected to an anchor with a flexi- 1 e mm ble connector which allows movement and yet is easy to at- UNITED STATES PATENTS tach, while providing a bumper against impact of the airplane and the anchor.

Walter......................................46/77 2,292,285 8/l942 Ottofy...... .......r................46/l89 UX 8 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures TOY SOUND PRODUCING FLIGHT SYSTEM The present invention relates to a toy system and, more particularly, to a toy system including a filament, a toy vehicle, such as a toy airplane, and a control means; the invention further relates to the individual elements of the system.

2. Description of the Prior Art New and exciting toys are always being sought due to the rate at which novel items are presented to the public in the form of toys. Historically, some toy systems have become exceedingly popular and have provided excitement and enjoyment to an entire generation of children. For example, a popular early toy system was the electric train of which the Lionel model proved to be the most famous. These systems included train cars, tracks and numerous accessories relating to small trains. More recently, miniature toy vehicles with freely rotatable wheels, such as those sold under the trademark Hot Wheel" have become exceedingly popular. These toy vehicles are generally small automobiles, some being self-powered, which are used in combination with a track system, including various accessories, such as loops, curves, jump ramps, race starting gates, finishing gates, speedometers, lap counters etc.

Children have always been fascinated with flight, and numerous articles have appeared over the years in an attempted effort to fulfill the desire for such toys. For example, small model aircraft with miniature gasoline engines have been available for several decades as have non-powered airplanes movable along a string, such as kite string. None of these aircrafts have been particularly adapted or directed to the young child and none of the prior art flight toys have achieved anywhere near the commercial success as Lionel trains or Hot Wheel toy vehicles.

It, of course, must be understood that any toy which is to achieve large scale commercial success must be able to be manufactured at a reasonable cost as well as easily distributed, so that mass marketing at a reasonable price may take place.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides broadly a toy system comprising a sound-inducing support having periodic distorted portions; a toy vehicle, such as an airplane suspended from the support and movable there along; and a sound-amplification mechanism for translating movement of the support to sound comprising a housing, a support receiver and motion transmitter, including an opening for changing the directional disposition of the support and for transmitting movement of the support; and means connected to the support and partially constrained by the housing for emitting sound responsive to the transmitted movement of the support. In addition, the invention includes the various individual elements of the system, such as connector, a hanger for suspending the airplane from the sound-inducing support and a reel for allowing control of the descending airplane.

A general aim of the present invention is to provide an interesting and exciting flight-simulating toy which is simply constructed, reliable and inexpensive to manufacture and package so as to be mass marketed.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an exciting toy where a child operator may control the flight of a toy airplane moving along a filament.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sound-amplification mechanism for producing a sound in response to movement of a toy vehicle, such as a toy airplane.

Yet, another aspect of the present invention is to provide a toy reel for controlling the movement of a toy vehicle along a filament.

A corollary aspect of the present invention is to provide a toy hanger for suspending and moving a toy vehicle along a filament so as to induce vibrations or movements in the filamerit.

A further related object of the present invention is to provide a filament for producing movement responsive to the movement ofa toy vehicle so that a sound may be produced.

An ancillary object of the present invention is to provide a connector which is flexible and resilient for connecting the filament to a support structure and for preventing damage to the support structure.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toy system with a soundproducing airplane.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the flexible connector shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view of a reel and sound amplification mechanism combination taken along line 3-3 of FIG. I.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the sound-amplification mechanism shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevational view taken along line 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an exploded, partially sectional perspective view, of the reel mechanism. FIG. 7 is an enlarged elevational view of a filament.

FIG. 8 is a sectional elevational view taken along line 88 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of a toy vehicle hanger.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of the bottom portion of the toy airplane taken along line IO 10 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT While the present invention is susceptible of various modifi cations and alternative constructions, illustrative embodiments are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that it is not the intention to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed; but, on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring now to FIG. I, there is illustrated a toy soundproducing airplane system 12, including a toy airplane l4 supported by and suspended from a cable or filament 16 which is connected at one end to a flexible connector I8 and at the other end to a toy reel and sound-amplification mechanism apparatus 20. It is contemplated that the flexible connector will anchor one end of the filament 16 to a convenient location, such as the leg of a table represented by a center line designated 22, while an operator can grip the reel-sound mechanism apparatus 20 by a depending handle 24 so as to guide the airplane along the filament as the airplane moves due to gravity.

In operation, the operator of the toy system unwinds to a predetermined or desired distance a length of filament which he then attaches to a convenient anchoring point, such as the leg of a chair or table; then while gripping the reel-sound mechanism apparatus by the handle 24, the operator suspends the airplane from the filament, while allowing the airplane to rest upon a platform portion 26. To initiate movement of the airplane, the operator merely dips the reel-sound mechanism apparatus, so that the airplane moves away from the platform and starts its descent along the filament. By manipulating the reel-sound mechanism apparatus, control of the airplane is maintained, so that a landing, bombing run target shoot can be simulated.

It there is a desire to race two airplanes side by side, a duplicate reel-sound mechanism apparatus 28 may be positioned adjacent the reel-sound mechanism apparatus 20 and may be operated by an additional accessory handle 30 which includes two arms 32 and 34 which are attachable to the reelsound mechanism combinations and 28, respectively, so that the child need only grip the handle 30 to control both airplanes.

ln accordance with an important aspect of the present invention, the flexible connector is provided to allow a simple connection to be made to a piece of household furniture, while allowing the cable or filament to which the connector is attached to be moved, so that control of the descending airplane is maintained. At the same time, protection is offered to the furniture from impact by the airplane. Thus, the flexible connector functions as a connector and as a flexible bumper. Further, the connector is preferably made of an integral synthetic resin molding so as to minimize the cost of manufacture thereby helping to maintain the entire toy system at a reasonable price for marketing.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the flexible connector includes a number of slotted discs 40-40e which are aligned at spaced intervals and parallel to one another, so that the slots 42 are in aiignment to receive the filament 16. Connecting adjacent discs are alternately upper bridge portions 44 and lower bridge portions 46. For example, connecting the discs 40a and 40b is upper bridge portion 44a which is integral with corresponding upper portions of the discs 40a and 40b. Connecting the discs 40a and 40c is a lower bridge portion 460 which is integral with corresponding lower portions of the discs 40a and 40c; connecting the discs 40b and 40d is lower bridge por tion 46b integral with lower portions of the discs 40b and 40d. It is noted that the upper and lower portions of each disc are oppositely disposed, that is, about 180 from one another. It is this alternate upper and lower connection of the discs that give the connector its flexibility of movement thereby allowing the filament to be movable relative the furniture piece to which the filament is anchored.

At each end of the connector are smaller end discs such as the discs 48 and 50 having slots 52 and 54, respectively. The end disc 48 is integrally connected with the disc 40e by an L- shaped bracket portion 56, while the end disc 50 is integrally connected to the disc 40f by an L-shaped bracket portion 58. The bracket portions 56 and 58 have openings 60 and 62, respectively, to allow an end portion 64 of the filament 16 to be attached. For example, as shown, the end portion 64 of the filament is positioned through the opening 62 and knotted. The filament then loops about the end disc 50, about the fumiture piece 22, through the slot 54, through the aligned slots 42, then through the slot 52 of the end disc 48. It is noted that the slots 52 and 54 of the end discs are oppositely disposed from the slots 42 of the discs 40-4042, so that once the filament is positioned, as described, through the slots, the filament may be moved relative the furniture piece 22 without disengaging from the flexible connector. Meanwhile, the flexible connec tor is held in alignment with the filament to allow the connector to perform its function as a bumper to protect the furniture piece from engagement with the airplane.

In use after an operator has made the knotted attachment of the filament to the L-shaped bracket portion 58, it takes little manipulative skill to loop the connector around the furniture piece, align the filament through the slot 54 manipulating the connector so as to align the filament through the slots 42 and then manipulating the connector once again to align the filament through the slot 52. In this manner, connection is made very quickly without the need of tying or any other fastening operation.

Another important aspect of the present invention is the provision of a sound-amplification mechanism for producing an audible sound in response to movement of a toy vehicle, such as the airplane, while insuring that the mechanism is simply constructed and relatively inexpensive. Referring now to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the reel-sound mechanism apparatus 20 includes a housing 70 which in turn forms the handle 24 and the platform 26. Attached to the housing is a conically-shaped diaphragm 72 having an opening 74 at its apex and having an annular pleat 76 about its base portion. Received within the opening 74 is a motion transmitting arm 78 having an opening 80 within which is positioned an eyelet 82. The arm includes a base connector portion 84 which is fitted within the opening 74. As shown in FIG. 3, the filament is received within the opening 80 where there is a change of direction from that direction taken by the filament beyond the reelsound mechanism apparatus (to the right as viewed in FIG. 3). For example, as shown, the filament to the left of the opening 80 is approximately 15 displaced from the direction of the filament to the right of the opening.

In operation, the movement of the toy airplane along the filament induces a vibratory movement in the filament which is directionally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the filament. By changing the direction of the filament, a component of movement or force is directed perpendicular to the position of the filament or parallel to the length of the arm 78. Since the diaphragm includes the annular pleated portion 76 adjacent its base as well as an annular rim 86 which is held by the housing, the force created by the filament induces a movement of the diaphragm at the annular pleat. This will amplify the sound occurring with the movement so as to simulate the sound of an airplane, for example. The purpose of the eyelet within the opening 80 is to provide a smooth surface over which the filament can travel so as to reduce wear of the filament.

Yet, another aspect of the present invention is to provide a toy reel for controlling the direction of the toy vehicle descending the filament. The toy reel allows the operator to adjust the length of filament to be used as well as control the descending toy by moving the housing 70 through manipulation of the handle as mentioned hereinabove. Once the predetermined amount of filament has been paid out, the reel may be locked so as to prevent the further pay out of filament but yet not prevent the filament from being wound. Referring now to FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the reel comprises a spool 90 having a U-shaped periphery 92 into which the filament may be wound. The spool includes a hub portion 94 having a plurality of openings of two different sizes such as the openings 96 and the openings 98. The openings 98 allow a clamped end 100 of the filament to be stored so as not to interfere with rotation of the spool. The openings 96 cooperate with a crank 102 so that the crank and the spool rotate together. The hub portion 94 additionally includes a central opening 104 to receive a shaft 106 of the crank 102.

The crank 102 includes a crank handle 108, three extending flexible arms 110, 112 and 114 which are received within the openings 96 to cause engagement of the crank and the spool. The crank further includes the shaft 106 which is received through the opening 104 and within a sleeve 116 which is formed as part of the housing 70. Positioned about the spool and partially within the U-shaped periphery 92 is a sickleshaped filament retainer 118 having a biasing arm 120 for contacting the filament as it enters or leaves the spool, as clearly shown in FIG. 5.

The crank also includes integral with the shaft 106 a cam surface 122 and an abutment surface 124 which cooperates with an abutment surface 126 and an annular spiral surface 128 which are part of the housing sleeve 116. In addition, at the extended end of the shaft 106 which is split into two portions there are formed two grooves 130 and 132 which cooperate to engage selectively a bead 134 of the sleeve 116. As is now apparent, the crank 102 is movable between two positions: a first position in which the bead 134 engages the groove 132 which may be referred to as the outer position, and a second or inner position during which the bead 134 engages the groove 130. When the crank is in its outer position, an operator may rotate the handle in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction depending upon whether it is desired to unwind or wind, respectively, the filament (as viewed in FIG. 6). When the crank is moved inwardly so that the bead 134 engages the groove 130, movement of the handle in a clockwise direction (to unwind the filament) is prevented because the abutment surface 124 of the shaft 106 engages the abutment surface 126 of the sleeve 116 thereby preventing rotation and locking the crank from inadvertently unwinding. Thus, an operator may exert a pulling force upon the filament while he is handling the reel'sound mechanism apparatus with no fear of the filament unwinding and releasing the tautness desired and necessary to achieve proper control of the airplane. However, upon winding the crank, that is, moving it in a counter clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 6, the cam surface 122 will engage the annular spiral surface 128 thereby providing a force pushing the crank to its outer position. As viewed in FIG. 5, counter clockwise movement of the spool unwinds the filament, while clockwise movement of the spool winds the filament.

Still another important aspect of the present invention is the provision of a filament for producing movement responsive to the movement of a toy along the filament, so that a sound is produced. Referring now to FlGS. 7 and 8, the filament 16 is shown in greater detail. It is to be noted that the filament is comprised of a single piece or strand of material of a generally circular shape such as the segments 140 and 142 which alternate with distorted segments 144 and 146. However, in cross section, the area of a distorted segment, such as shown in FIG. 8, is equal to the area of the circular shape cross section such as that of the segment 140. In the embodiment shown, the lengths of the segments are generally equal so that an upper surface 148 will have periodic rises and recesses. It has been found that such a filament will engender a vibratory motion when a suspended toy vehicle is moved along its length. As mentioned earlier, this vibratory motion is transmitted into an audible sound to increase the excitement of the toy to a child. The material of the filament may be of any suitable synthetic resin which may be extruded and then periodically crimped to provide the desired periodic distortions. Not only is sound enhanced by the inventive filament, but the filament is inexpensive to manufacture.

Still a further important aspect of the present invention is the provision of a toy hanger for suspending the toy vehicle moving along the filament. The hanger is inexpensive to manufacture, allows easy engagement with and disengagement from the filament and the toy vehicle and induces the desirable movements of the filament to allow amplification of sound. Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, the hanger 150 comprises a single length of small diameter wire having a degree of springiness which is formed to have two oppositely disposed legs 152 and 154, each having a short laterally extending feet 156 and 158, respectively. The center portion of the wire includes arms 160 and 162 extending away from the legs and then forming into a large loop center portion, and two small loops 166 and 168 for engaging the filament. It is noted that the legs 152 and 154 are movable from the position shown in solid line which is its unbiased position to the converging posi' tion in phantom line in which the legs may be considered to be in a biased position.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 10, it is to be noted that the airplane 14 has an opening 170 through a central portion of the fuselage which receives the legs 152 and 154 of the hanger so that the feet 156 and 158 can be received within slots 172 and 174, respectively, which extend away from the opening 170 in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the airplane. As shown in FIG. 10, the legs 152 and 154 are in an unbiased position so that the feet 156 and 158 are received within and engage the slots. However, should it be desired to remove the airplane from the hanger, the end portions may be squeezed together to the biased position so that the feet 156 and 158 may be moved through the opening 170 to allow separation. Thus, it is quite easy to substitute another style of airplane or other toy vehicle for the airplane 14. Or the hanger may be removed from the filament simply by lifting the loops I66 and 168 from the filament thereby allowing another toy vehicle with its own hanger to be substituted on the filament.

The airplane 14 may be made of any suitable material such as a die-cast metal which is brightly painted while the reelsound mechanism apparatus may be of any convenient material such as a synthetic resin of which polypropylene and polystyrene are two examples. The flexible connector may also be made of a suitable synthetic resin as already mentioned.

In detail, the operation of the toy system shown includes at taching the end portion 64 of the filament through the flexible connector 18 (this need only be done the first time the toy is used) looping the filament about the furniture piece 22 and aligning the filament in proper relation to the remainder of the flexible connector, as already described, and unwinding the crank 102 to allow the filament to be adjusted to any desired length. Once the length has been determined, the crank 102 is moved from its outer position to its inner position to prevent the further unwinding of the filament. The operator holds the handle 24 while placing the airplane which has previously been combined with the hanger upon the platform while looping the hanger about the filament. The filament is disposed in a non-horizontal fashion with the reel-sound mechanism apparatus being at a higher level than the flexible connector. Thus, when it is desired for the airplane to move along the Ma ment, all that need be done is to dip the platform sufficiently to have the airplane start downwardly along the filament. The airplane will move along the filament until it or the hanger abuts the flexible connector 18. During the flight the operator may manipulate the reel-sound mechanism apparatus upwardly or downwardly or side to side so as to direct the airplane along a predetermined flight path or cause it to land at a predetermined location or for aiming the aircraft at previously located targets. Examples of using the toy system as described more fully in copending application assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Hence, an exciting, easily manipulated toy has been described hereinabove. It is expected that the toy will bring hours ofjoy to a user while offering the advantages of being simply constructed, rugged, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to package.

We claim:

1. A toy system comprising:

a sound-inducing support for a toy vehicle;

a toy vehicle suspended from said support and movable there along; and

a sound-amplification mechanism for translating movement of said support to a sound, said mechanism comprising a housing, a support receiver and motion transmitter, including an opening for changing the directional disposition of said support and for transmitting movement of said support, and means connected to said support and partially constrained by said housing for emitting sound responsive to the transmitted movement of said support.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said soundproducing support comprises a filament having alternate segments of different cross-sectional shapes wherein at least one of said cross-sectional shapes is circular and the total areas of each of said cross-sectional shapes are essentially equal.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said sound-emitting means comprises a generally conical shape having an opening at its apex and its angular pleat about its base, said housing constraining said soundemitting means adjacent said angular pleat;

said filament receiver and motion transmitter includes an arm having said opening and an integral soundemitting means connector; and including an eyelet positioned about said opening and connected to said arm.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, including a toy reel and control mechanism comprising:

a rotatable spool for containing a length of said sound-inducing material; and

a crank connected to said spool for winding said length of material about said spool.

5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said crank is movable perpendicular to the plane of rotation of said spool between two positions, a first position allowing said material to be unwound and a second position for preventing the unwinding of said material.

6 A system as claimed in claim 1, including a hanger for removably suspending the toy vehicle from said support comprising a single length of small diameter wire having two oppositely disposed legs, each having a short laterally extending foot and a center portion extending laterally away from each of the legs and looped so as to engage said support at two locations;

said legs being movable from an unbiased position parallel one another to a biased position wherein said legs converge toward one another to allow the feet to be received by an opening in said toy vehicle, said feet engaging said toy vehicle when in said unbiased position.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1, including a flexible connector comprising:

a plurality of aligned spaced apart elements;

means for connecting any two adjacent elements along cor responding portions of said elements and a next adjacent element along oppositely disposed corresponding portions of said elements; and

means for connecting an end portion of said support to said elements.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, including:

a rotatable spool for containing a length of material;

a crank connected to said spool for winding said length of material about said spool, said crank being movable perpendicular to the plane of rotation of said spool between two positions, a first position allowing said material to be unwound and a second position for preventing the unwinding of said material;

a hanger for removably suspending said toy vehicle from a flexible connector comprising a plurality of aligned spaced apart elements, means for connecting any two adjacent elements along corresponding portions of said elements and a next adjacent element along oppositely disposed corresponding portions of said elements, and means for connecting an end portion of said support to said elements. 

1. A toy system comprising: a sound-inducing support for a toy vehicle; a toy vehicle suspended from said support and movable there along; and a sound-amplification mechanism for translating movement of said support to a sound, said mechanism comprising a housing, a support receiver and motion transmitter, including an opening for changing the directional disposition of said support and for transmitting movement of said support, and means connected to said support and partially constrained by said housing for emitting sound responsive to the transmitted movement of said support.
 2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sound-producing support comprises a filament having alternate segments of different cross-sectional shapes wherein at least one of said cross-sectional shapes is circular and the total areas of each of said cross-sectional shapes are essentially equal.
 3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said sound-emitting means comprises a generally conical shape having an opening at its apex and its angular pleat about its base, said housing constraining said sound-emitting means adjacent said angular pleat; said filament receiver and motion transmitter includes an arm having said opening and an integral sound-emitting means connector; and including an eyelet positioned about said opening and connected to said arm.
 4. A system as claimed in claim 1, including a toy reel and control mechanism comprising: a rotatable spool for containing a length of said sound-inducing material; and a crank connected to said spool for winding said length of material about said spool.
 5. A system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said crank is movable perpendicular to the plane of rotation of said spool between two positions, a first position allowing said material to be unwound and a second position for preventing the unwinding of said material.
 6. A system as claimed in claim 1, including a hanger for removably suspending the toy vehicle from said support comprising a single length of small diameter wire having two oppositely disposed legs, each having a short laterally extending foot and a center portion extending laterally away from each of the legs and looped so as to engage said support at two locations; said legs being movable from an unbiased position parallel one another to a biased position wherein said legs converge toward one another to allow the feet to be received by an opening in said toy vehicle, said feet engaging said toy vehicle when in said unbiased position.
 7. A system as claimed in claim 1, including a flexible connector comprising: a plurality of aligned spaced apart elements; means for connecting any two adjacent elements along corresponding portions of said elements and a next adjacent element along oppositely disposed corresponding portions of said elements; and means for connecting an end portion of said support to said elements.
 8. A system as claimed in claim 1, including: a rotatable spool for containing a length of material; a crank connected to said spool for winding said length of material about said spool, said crank being movable perpendicular to the plane of rotation of said spool between two positions, a first position allowing said material to be unwound and a second position for preventing the unwinding of said material; a hanger for removably suspending said toy vehicle from said support comprising a single length of small diameter wire having two oppositely disposed legs, each having a short laterally extending foot and a center portion extending laterally from each of the legs and looped so as to engage said support at two locations, said legs being movable from an unbiased position parallel one another to a biased position wherein said legs converge toward One another to allow the feet to be received by an opening in said toy vehicle, said feet engaging said toy vehicle in said unbiased position; and a flexible connector comprising a plurality of aligned spaced apart elements, means for connecting any two adjacent elements along corresponding portions of said elements and a next adjacent element along oppositely disposed corresponding portions of said elements, and means for connecting an end portion of said support to said elements. 